Baseball Insider: Cards great, but Cubs' pitching better

[CincyRedsFan30]

Cards great, but Cubs' pitching better

CINCINNATI | This says everything you ever wanted to know about the Chicago Cubs but were afraid to ask, especially if you are a St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Yes, the Cardinals are good, exceptionally good, exponentially good. But as good as the St. Louis starting rotation is, the Cubs' rotation is better, once they all come out of hospital wards, doctor's offices and training rooms.

Proof? They're all back now — Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Greg Maddux and Carlos Zambrano.

Now, consider this.

During one turn through the rotation last week, here is their combined pitching line: 26 innings pitched, 11 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 5 walks, 24 strikeouts.

Yikes.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals stay healthy, wealthy and in first place because their starting pitchers won 44 times in St. Louis' first 77 games. Contrast that to the last-place Cincinnati Reds, whose starting pitchers won 18 games in the team's first 77 games.

Meanwhile, Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle believes he knows why crosstown veteran Maddux has won five of his last six starts. He whispered the spitball word and associated it with a Cubs veteran pitcher.

"Whatever," Maddux said. "I sleep well at night, OK?" But do you drool in your sleep, old-timer?

Hey, Bert

When Brett Tomko pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, manager Jack McKeon always called him Bert. So Tomko's brother bought him a Sesame Street Bert puppet and Tomko kept it in his locker.

Tomko, a 10-game loser so far this season, was recently demoted to the San Francisco bullpen, and even though he recorded a save recently, he is grumbling.

"I pitch my butt off every time I take the ball, but if they don't see me in their future, then let them do whatever they want to do," he said. "I don't want to go to the bullpen and be a nonfactor here."

You can send Oscar the Grouch dolls to Tomko at SBC Park.

Just George

This one alone is enough to induce George Steinbrenner to call another meeting, throw his hands up in exasperation and ask his underlings, "What the heck!"

The abysmal and abominable Trampled Bay Deviled Eggs have a winning record in only one stadium this season. They are 4-2 in Yankee Stadium.

The Hit Man

The Reds have played Houston three times since Craig Biggio set the all-time record for getting hit by pitches (268 times), and amazingly, they haven't hit him yet.

Of course, you have to pitch inside to do that. Biggio's protective elbow pad, by the way, is going to the Hall of Fame.

Teammate and pitcher Roger Clemens is going to the Hall of Fame, wearing whatever he wants, and told Biggio, "It's about time you got your own Band-Aid commercial, and put your name on the Band-Aid."

Some black-and-blue facts: Biggio has been hit by 203 different pitchers, and the team that has hit him the most is Colorado, 32 times. He has been hit by pitchers on 24 of the 30 major-league teams.

"Anybody who has not been hit that many times has no understanding about how many times that is and how painful it is over the years," Biggio said.

Hey, uh, you

Anaheim catcher Josh Paul sat in the dugout 33 straight games without an at-bat. Nobody knew him even without his mask. But before he finally got a start and four at-bats in a game last week, as he headed for batting practice, a fan behind the dugout yelled, "You're my favorite player, can I have your autograph?"

Paul: "What's my name?"

Fan: "I don't know."

Paul should have asked manager Mike Scioscia the same question.

A reverse Samson

Cory Lidle, who worked half-a-year in Cincinnati in 2004 before he was traded to Philadelphia, was 4-1 with a 3.21 ERA in May, then lost three of his four decisions in June with a 5.46 ERA.

So he performed a reverse Samson and shaved his goatee before a game. He retired the first 10 Mets and held them to three runs on five hits over seven innings and won.

"The Mets thought I was a call-up from the minors, and they didn't have a good scouting report on me," Lidle said. "They didn't recognize me."

Neither would fans who watched him labor with the Reds.

Quote-unquote

What not to say to a certain pitcher in Texas: "Hey, Mr. Rogers, may I take your picture?"

Contact Hal McCoy by e-mail at hmccoy@coxohio.com

[missionhockey21]

"Anybody who has not been hit that many times has no understanding about how many times that is and how painful it is over the years," Biggio said.

No one is holding a gun to your head making it so you get plunked. You can ease up on the plate, try to move away, etc.